I hope you’ve all had a wonderful August. While parliament has been on recess, I've been very busy, even incorporating international politics into my family holiday.
Trip to the Baltic States
I took a week off at the beginning of the month and travelled with my wife, three teenage children and my Mum up through the Baltic states, starting in Lithuania and heading north through Latvia to Estonia. I first visited these countries in 1993 and it was wonderful to come back, see how much they have changed and wander through the medieval cities and beautiful countryside.
However, I also had an ulterior motive. I am very worried about Putin’s ambitions, whether the Baltic states are next on his list, and whether we in the West are ready to deal with this. To this end, I met up with a Lithuanian presidential candidate, a Latvian ambassador and an Estonian chair of their Foreign Affairs committee to understand the situation better. I didn’t leave comforted. We need to be doing much more, both as a country and as a continent, to be politically and militarily ready for what Putin may throw at us. The more ready we are now, the less likely we are to have major trouble down the track.
Witney Update
The Oxford Growth Commission are a team which has been set up by the Government to support the delivery of new infrastructure, housing and employment in Oxfordshire. I’ve had three really useful meetings with them over the last few weeks.
First, I joined them on a tour around West Oxfordshire, to discuss how to meet the targets for new homebuilding that the Government has set for the district and, crucially, the local infrastructure we need in our area to support population growth.
I then had a follow up meeting with them in Westminster, where we discussed in detail the benefits of rebuilding the railway line which previously linked Carterton and Witney to Oxford. This is critical if we are going to resolve the issue of terrible gridlock on the A40, which is only going to get worse as we build much more housing locally.
Finally, I had a meeting specifically focussed on the rail project with OGC’s rail lead. By 2031 car journeys from Carterton and Witney to Oxford will take 30 minutes longer – with bus journeys from Carterton being nearly 1.5 hrs, and nearly 1 hr from Witney. What is more, the knock-on impact of travel times will damage the economies of our towns along the A40, as people will be less keen to take jobs, or visit local shops and businesses, which take so long to get to.
You can sign my petition supporting the rebuilding of the Carterton-Witney-Oxford rail line here:
I visited RAF Brize Norton and had some really useful meetings with the Station Commander, Group Captain Lou Henton, Commander Air Wing, Group Captain Andy McIntyre, and also the Air Mobility Force Commander, Air Commodore Dan James to discuss a variety of issues impacting the Station and how it can be supported over the next few years.
It was great to have lunch in the officers’ mess, meet lots of other members of the team at the Station. We then headed on to meet with the team at AirTanker. Where we discussed the company’s work nationally and internationally, the flooding problems it faces in Carterton and the charity work the company does in the local area.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to brief me on the day – it was a really useful and informative trip!
Towards the end of the month I held a constituency surgery, at the Old Town Hall in Faringdon. This was a chance for anyone to drop in and see me, to raise any issues or concerns they may have. Lots of people showed up and we had a busy morning of it.
I’m planning on holding these regularly in towns and villages across the constituency to make sure any resident who needs to chat can reach me – especially anyone who might find it hard to come to my office in Witney. The next one is set for Carterton from 2pm-4pm, please get in touch if you are interested.
Thank you for everyone who came and spoke with me on the day – me and my team will be back in touch as soon as possible to follow up the issues you raised.
Last Thursday, Mark Coleman, district councillor for the Thames ward, joined me on my 6th Constituency "Walkies". We walked village to village from Longworth, through Hinton Waldrist, Buckland and Littleworth to Faringdon. We had a wonderful variety of meetings including with met with parish councillors, the headteacher of Buckland primary school, the vicar of Faringdon, the publican of the Old Crown, Faringdon’s County Councillor, a campsite operator and a goatmilk soapmaker!
Top of the list of problems was the A420 and its terrible safety record. Other issues included SEND provision, shoplifting, mobile phone signals, how to help Faringdon’s beautiful town square blossom and getting the EA to get a move on and fix 10 foot bridge.
For those looking for a lovely walk, it’s hard to beat the route from Hinton Waldrist down to Duxford and back up to Buckland. There’s the Lamb in Buckland to have a drink at and a direct route back.
Thank you to all residents who took time out of their busy days to meet with me, and a special thanks to those who hosted me along the way.
Thank you for taking the time to read about what I have been up to. As ever, please do get in touch if there is anything you would like to raise with me, or anything you need support with - Charlie.maynard.mp@parliament.uk.
Best wishes,
Charlie Maynard MP